Disposable income is your monthly take-home pay minus essential spending and existing credit payments. An optional monthly buffer and, if you switch them on, estimated running costs are deducted before a suggested finance payment is worked out. When those adjustments are £0, the calculator shows one disposable-income figure.
Salary examples estimate take-home pay for England, Wales and Northern Ireland using 2026/27 Income Tax and employee National Insurance only. Pension contributions, student loans, salary sacrifice and benefits are not deducted. The monthly take-home field stays editable, so you can replace the estimate with the amount on your payslip.
Comfortable is the recommended result. It is the lower of 25% of disposable income and 10% of take-home pay. Balanced uses 35% and 15%. Upper range uses 45% and 20%. These are budgeting assumptions for this calculator. They are not lender rules or a credit decision.
The Comfortable monthly payment is turned back into an amount financed with a standard amortised-loan formula, using the APR and term you enter. A 0% APR is treated as a straight split across the term. Your deposit and any part-exchange value are then added to estimate a vehicle budget. Lender fees and PCP final payments are not included.
The term table keeps that same Comfortable amount financed and shows how the payment, interest and total repayments change at 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months. A longer term can lower the monthly payment and increase the total interest.
This is an affordability estimate from the figures you enter. It is not financial advice, a credit limit or a lender decision. The calculation runs in your browser. For a repayment illustration on a known amount, use the car finance calculator. When you want to talk to Carplus, get a quote.
